1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to wire or cable fasteners, and more particularly to wire or cable stacking devices useful for securing and properly positioning a plurality of cables or other elongated articles, i.e. tubes, conduits, onto a mounting surface in space restricted environments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, when routing wires or cables throughout a building, the practice has been to use metal conduit or to run nonmetallic insulated electrical wires or cables, hereinafter referred to as "cables," along the framing members of the building and to secure them with metal or plastic staples. The framing members usually consist of wood or metal studs, joists and rafters which support the walls and ceiling of a building. The staples are generally placed every three to five feet along each cable to be secured. If several cables must be routed together in the same area, they are usually positioned side by side on the framing member. However, a staple will generally only fit over a single electrical cable, at the most two, so many staples must be driven into the framing member if several cables are routed together. This can be a time consuming chore. The number of cables that can fit on the framing member is also limited at present by the size of the cable and the width of the framing member.
In the construction industry, metal staples or plastic clips have been used to secure electrical cables for a number of years. However, there are several disadvantages to securing electrical cables in this way. For example, when several cables are secured on a wooden framing member with staples, some of the cables must be placed close to the edges of the framing member. This makes the cables more susceptible to damage if a nail driven into the framing member misses the framing member when installing wall and ceiling panels. Nails may be driven later into the walls for various reasons, such as for hanging decorations or for supporting shelving, etc. In addition to the damage that may result to the electrical cable, personal injury may also result due to electric shock when the nail pierces the insulation of a cable. Also, an electrical power outage can result if the nail causes a short circuit, or breaks a wire. Shorted conductors may also cause a fire resulting in extensive damage to the structure.
The staples used to secure cables on the framing members can damage the cables as well. The staples may cut the cable's insulation if they are improperly positioned over the cable, or if they are driven too far into the stud. The use of a plastic clip secured with two nails is less likely to cause damage, but care must still be taken to ensure that the nails holding the plastic clip are not driven through the cable. A damaged cable must be replaced or repaired, which may cause delays in completion of the wiring system and also result in increased costs. If the damage from an improperly placed staple goes undetected when installing the wiring, the damage may be very difficult to find and correct later after wall panels are attached.
Staples can be difficult to install in tight places, such as when neighboring studs are positioned close together for framing a window or doorway, making it difficult to use a hammer to drive the staple into the stud over the cable. Pneumatic staple guns are available to drive the staples, but they are difficult to set up properly and are not commonly used by electrical contractors.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a cable stacking member that will secure and locate the cables of an electrical system to the framing members in a way that reduces the possibility of the cables being damaged by nails.
Also, the invention provides a cable fastening device that allows easy routing of cables, and positioning the same to restrict the possibility of damage to the cables during installation, finishing of walls or after construction.
Further, the invention provides a cable stacking device that allows a plurality of electrical cables to be secured to the framing members in a neat and orderly manner with a minimum amount of effort.
Additionally, the invention provides a cable stacking member that is easily positioned and aligned on a framing member so that the electrical cables are automatically centered on the studs where they are less likely to be damaged.
The present invention also provides a fastener that can be used anywhere it is necessary or desirable to secure a plurality of elongated articles.